Although Ms Lanser, 24, says she would put this much effort into her classroom's appearance regardless, she finds Instagram is a "great way to share ideas" with other teachers.

For Jessica Stedman, a year 5 teacher at St Ives North Public School, the community she has found through sharing her classroom design tips and lesson plans on Instagram has also been beneficial.

"Classrooms can be quite isolating at times," she says.

"People reach out [on Instagram] and ask you questions, and I think it's nice when people acknowledge what you're doing in your classroom is interesting and is creative."

Year 5 teacher Jessica Stedman earns money from selling the resources she makes and promotes on Instagram.Credit:Janie Barrett

Ms Stedman started her Instagram account, "@the.sydney.teacher", last year, and now has just under 2500 followers. She says many of them are university students with questions about the profession.

"In the beginning of my career I was in my classroom in the holidays for hours and hours," she says. "I would bring my boyfriend and even my dog into the classroom because we would stay there the whole day: doing laminating, putting furniture together."

When it comes to decorating their classrooms at the start of a new school year, although some P&C associations may provide a small amount of money, teachers are overwhelmingly expected to foot the bill.

"Anything that's colourful or modern is generally from the teacher," Ms Stedman, 27, says. She has brought in a number of larger items into her classroom, including a couch and bookshelves.

Ms Lanser says it is difficult to quantify how much time and money she spends on her classroom: some things are reused each year, and she keeps costs down by shopping at places like Kmart and Hot Dollar. She says she has never felt pressured to decorate.

"I love it and I wouldn't do it if I didn't."

Ms Stedman is similarly unable to provide a figure on how much money she spends on her classroom each year, although she says it is "in the hundreds of dollars".

However, Ms Stedman offsets some of her spending by selling resources – worksheets and posters – on popular US-based online marketplace, Teachers Pay Teachers.

In September, Forbes profiled a US teacher who managed to build a million-dollar business on the website.

"I can't quit my day job, but it does help," Ms Stedman laughs, saying she generally makes somewhere between $50 and $250 a month.

Ms Stedman believes the rise of services like Teachers Pay Teachers have changed the game for primary school teachers.

"I think the quality of resources that teachers are using has definitely improved, aesthetically at least, because there is a pressure to use special fonts and clip art," she says.

Dr Kimberley Pressick-Kilborn, senior lecturer in education at the University of Technology Sydney, says vibrant classroom displays can be great for students, viewing social media as an opportunity for teachers to inspire each other.

Although, she worries about the possibility of a "competitive pressure" for teachers to spend more time and money to create more beautiful learning spaces.

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"This is taking them away from what I consider to be the 'real work' of teaching – preparing for and planning engaging and meaningful learning experiences for their students."

While both Ms Lanser and Ms Stedman say they have never observed any competitiveness between teachers on Instagram, they feel the general rules of social media use applies.

"It's like for anybody: on Instagram you kind of don't want to show yourself going out wearing the same dress three times," Ms Stedman says of the need to change up her classroom displays.

"It's important to remember that Instagram's a highlight reel," says Ms Lanser. "Of course we're showing what our classrooms look like at their absolute best."

Ultimately, it comes down to creating a space where children want to learn.

"I've got a big sign in my room that says 'this is our happy place'," says Ms Lanser. "That's what I want coming to school to be."